artiFacts

Netsuke & Inro

Inro (‘seal-basket’) are small decorative containers that hang from the waist. They originated at the end of the sixteenth century and were worn by men to hold seals and herbal and other medicines. They were considered a particularly good way of keeping the contents sealed and fresh. By the Read more

A netsuke is a form of miniature sculpture which developed in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years. It served both functional and decorative purposes.
The kimono, the traditional form of Japanese dress, had no pockets. Women would tuck small personal items into their sleeves but men Read more

Contrary to popular belief most of the great collections are outside of Japan. The Europeans were the first to collect netsuke, which were exported from Japan in great number during the second half of the 19th century. With the Meiji restoration in 1868, western dress was adopted in Japan Read more